The lands around New Atricis that are regarded as Atricis' new territory. Not as big as their previous protective range, but still lots of space and wilds to explore. Dragon Flights and Wher Runs also occur across these lands.

At least that's what Lorcan told himself. There was no use in panicking as it didn't do any good. Besides, he was probably over-reacting. Sometimes Ash liked to stay out longer, but it was getting dark out and the wild feline was normally home by now. Hydranth, Ash doesn't happen to be with you does he? He asked his dragon who was relaxing in the pavilion.

No,heisnot.Hepassedbyhereearlierlikenormal,butIhavenotseenhimreturn. Hydranth replied to him. He could tell that Lor was worried about his feline. The man liked to appear tough, but when it came to Ash he was a huge softy. He loved that cat like it was a child. I'msurehe'sfine,Lor. Hydranth said encouragingly.

I know...it's just not like him to stay out this long and this late. Maybe he went to visit Isiana at her office. I'll go check there. Lorcan said. He knew he shouldn't fret so much, but he couldn't help it. With everything that had happened with the other wild felines, he was a bit more protective of Ash now. Some people wouldn't care to think that Ash wasn't a bloody killer and just kill him first. Ash was about as violent as a flutterby. He wouldn't harm a soul, but he did look the part of a wild, ferocious feline.

He quickly donned his boots and then made his way to Isiana. Along the way he kept his eyes peeled and called for Ash in the hopes that he'd suddenly would show up. That unfortunately didn't happen which only made him worry more. Politely, he knocked on her door before he opened it and stuck his head in. "Hey, Isi. Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Ash? He hasn't come home yet and I'm starting to worry about him." He explained as his eyes did a quick sweep of the room to make sure he wasn't in there.

Well, today has been a good day, at least until
the young gold rider had decided to do some late night work. While there wasn’t all that much work for her to do, she still hated that she was here so late. It was really only because she could not stand to leave stuff undone that could have gotten done today. Although once she had stated, it had turned into a bit bigger project than she had been expecting, but the dark eyed woman ha doused through and now she was nearly done.

Right now, all she really wanted to do was go home and just sit down and relax with her blue rider boyfriend. Isiana knew that Lorcan would be home, waiting for her so that they could eat something and then just spend the rest of the night together. The two of them tried to spend time together whenever they could between their schedules. So far, everything had worked out for them, and there had been no more fights, and they were happy.

Putting her paperwork in a pile, she looked at the last thing on her desk, and had just picked up her quill to deal with it when she heard the knock at the door. Before she could answer, Lor stuck his head in, and the young woman couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him, her dark eyes lighting up a little as well.

Unfortunately, that did not last for long as the blue rider spoke. Shaking her head, the young woman said, ”No I haven’t seen him. Just give me a second and I will go with you. I’m pretty much done here anyway.”

Getting up, she left the last piece of paper there, knowing she could work on it tomorrow. Right now, finding Ash was more important. Putting her cloak on she moved next to Lor, gently taking his hand. ”Come on, let’s go find Ash, he’s got to be somewhere around here.”

A sigh of disappointment escaped him and he rubbed the back of his neck when Ash obviously wasn't there. It was a long shot as he was sure that if Ash had come to Isi for whatever reason then she'd have sent him a message via 'lizard or through Hydranth from Andromedath.

”No I haven’t seen him. Just give me a second and I will go with you. I’m pretty much done here anyway.”

"Thank you, love. I'm sure that he's fine...he just usually is home by this time." Lorcan stated. He was trying to sound confident and not worried, but he was failing at it. It really didn't take her more than a second to get done with whatever it was she was working on. However, he still managed to make several turns in pacing in front of her desk.

”Come on, let’s go find Ash, he’s got to be somewhere around here.”

Lorcan sped to the door and opened it, but then swiftly remembered he was a gentleman and paused to allow her to go through first before he walked out. His entire body was tense with anxiousness and tension. "There's a few places I know for sure that he likes to frequent. He knows never to hunt the livestock here, so it could be he's just taking longer to hunt, but sometimes he's lazy and there is a particular cook in the dining hall that will give him plenty of scraps. Let's go there first." Lor suggested. He took her hand and practically dragged her there.

For the most part, people knew Ash was domesticated and friendly, so occasionally he'd try his luck and slip into the kitchen when he wanted. Finally, a bright spot hit him, as they made it to the kitchen and that cook in particular was there. Lorcan asked her if Ash had been there and much to his chagrin her answer was no, he hadn't slipped into the kitchen for a few days now.

"Dead in, dammit. She couldn't be the last to see him." He pinched the bridge of his nose in thought and worry. "Alright...the second place he might be is down at the lake. Let's go there next." Lor then dragged her that way. They stayed on the ground as they could better call for him then and looking for him.

(Feel free to take control of some of the places where they're looking, like who's there and if anyone has seen him.)

The young woman could not help but frown slightly as she heard her boyfriend sigh. It made her a bit upset to see him like this. The gold rider knew how much Lor loved Ash. Heck, Isiana loved him too, which was exactly why she had decided to leave whatever she was doing (since it could be done tomorrow), and go help the blue rider look for the young feline. They had all become attached to one another, and that's why it was so odd that Ash had not come home yet.

Another wave of a bit of sadness crept onto her features as Lorcan pace back and forth as she quickly finished what she was doing. Thankfully, it didn't take her long at all. As she moved towards Lor, she couldn't help but notice how the blue rider sped to the door, and then waited. As she walked through, she gently laid her hand on his arm, trying to be reassuring. Honestly, she didn't know if it would actually work or not, but she found herself hoping that it would.

Lor began speaking about places he thought Ash might so, and Isiana nodded in agreement. The blue rider knew the feline better than she did, so she would go along with whatever Lor thought. She was just here to help him, and for moral support.

Without saying a word, she allowed him to drag her to the kitchens and unfortunately, there was no news. The young feline had not been there in a while. Gently setting a hand on Lor’s shoulder once again Isiana said, “Don’t worry, we will find him Lor”

The went to the lake and found a few people there to talk to, asking them if they had seen the feline. Unfortunately for the two riders, no one at the lake had seen Ash. Fighting back a frown, Isiana turned back to Lor and said, ”Do you think we should go back and check at your apartment again? Maybe he came back by now? Or is there another spot you think we can try?”

Lor was doing a rather poor job of hiding his annoyance and worry. He was a stoic man who tended to not let people know what he was feeling, but when it came to things that angered him or being worried for a loved one he was an open book. "Yeah, yeah, I know we will. Thanks." He said before he leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. There were only a few people that could calm his more dynamic moods and Isiana was one of them.

”Do you think we should go back and check at your apartment again? Maybe he came back by now? Or is there another spot you think we can try?”

He thought about it for a moment. There were a few other places that he had taken Ash to, but he wasn't sure if the feline would go there by himself. "Let's head back to my apartment for now. If he's not there, then...there are some other places maybe we can look." Lor answered, though he wasn't confident that Ash would be there thanks to his natural pessimism.

Lorcan was quiet and brooding on the way back to his apartment. He was really trying hard not to, but his mind kept going to all the horrible things that could have happened to his beloved pet. Before they got to his apartment, he noticed someone walking nearby. The person was holding a rather large pelt that was obviously a wild feline pelt. From the look of happiness on the man's face, it seemed as though he was treasuring something new. Lor's brows furrowed together and following a hunch he diverted direction towards the man.

"Hey you!" He yelled after the man who quickly turned around to see who was hollering at him. "Where did you get that?" Lorcan more demanded than asked, which of course put the man on the defensive.

"Why you want to know?" He asked a bit curtly.

"Because I want to fucking know. Now where did you get it?" Lorcan asked again, only this time with more anger. The man didn't seem like he was going to be very forthcoming.

Dark eyes continued to watch the blue rider, and the young woman knew that he was trying his best to hide the fact that he was nervous, and possibly even angry. Lor certainly was no the type that liked to show his feelings, but Isiana had gotten used to being able to read him by now. Honestly she never knew exactly what to say, but this time it seemed to help him relax, even if it was just a little. As the blue rider kissed her cheek, she offered him another small smile.

Going back to the apartment actually sounded like a really good idea to the goldrider and she was glad that her boyfriend agreed with her. There was always the chance that Ash had returned home on his home. Especially if he had just had to travel a little farther to get his food, it would just have taken him that much longer to get back home. Hopefully that would be the case, and then everything would be fine.

Unfortunately she was pulled from these thoughts by Lor’s voice, and it sounded angrier than she had heard it in a while. It took her a moment to figure out what was going on. She saw the pelt in the stranger’s hand, and quickly recognized it as a feline pelt. A frown was on her face, and she quickly went to put an hand in Lor’s arm to try and get him to relax, but he was already getting even more angry.

Gently touching his arm, she said to the other man, ”I’m sorry sir, it’s just that we are missing our feline and we don’t know where he could be. We are just hoping someone didn’t mistake him for a wild one, which is why my boyfriend here was wondering where you got your pelt. We just want him back safe.”

”I’m sorry sir, it’s just that we are missing our feline and we don’t know where he could be. We are just hoping someone didn’t mistake him for a wild one, which is why my boyfriend here was wondering where you got your pelt. We just want him back safe.”

Thank Faranth for Isiana being there with her calming touch and soothing voice. Her rank as a goldrider didn't hurt much either. Lorcan was one of many blueriders, but goldriders they did not have in strides. Her talk on his arm also managed to curb her boyfriend's anger. The man didn't seem quite as defensive now with Lorcan not angry in his face. "Oh, well, this is a wild one. I bought it from a pelt trader that just came through the weyr. You just missed them yesterday." The man explained. "He didn't have any live creatures that I noticed." The man went on to say.

"Which way did the trapper go?" Lorcan demanded, but still there was a twinge of anger in his tone. The man seemed to not take as much offense of it this time as he pointed in direction. Lorcan only gave him a nod of thanks before taking off in that direction.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Isi. I know he said there was no live animals, but...instinct tells me otherwise." Lorcan told her as he slowed down to allow her to catch up a little bit better. He wasn't exactly a short man.

Dark eyes moved from the man, to her boyfriend and then back to the man, trying to determine if there were going to be any more problems. Once she finally decided that it didn’t look like this was going to escalate anymore, she left out a small breath that she hadn’t really realized she had been holding. Well at least she had got them calmed down. Mostly she had been worried about Lor. She knew the blue rider was upset about Ash, and she didn’t blame him, but she was glad her voice had calmed him down a little. Now was not the time to be getting into a fight.

Isiana kept her hand lightly on the blue rider’s arm, and turned her attention back to the other man as he began to speak. So the pelt he was carrying had been from a pelt trader, who had had no live animals that the man had seen. But he had said this had been yesterday. So this could have nothing to do with Ash then, right?

Dark eyes moved to the blue rider as she heard his voice once again, and again she let out a soft breath, relieved that he was still calm, even if he was still being a tad bit demanding. Once the other gentleman pointed out which way the trapper has went, Lor was off, and for a moment Isiana could only stare after him. Quickly she started moving and called back over her shoulder, ”Thanks for your help. We appreciate it.”

Quickly she caught up with Lor, once he slowed down that was, and frowned slightly when she heard what he said. ”Oh Lor. I know it’s hard, but you have to try and stay positive. We are going to find him, and everything will be fine.”

She gave him a small smile, hoping to reassure him, and herself. While she had said that stuff to Lor, she could not help but wonder if he wasn’t right. For his sake, she hoped he wasn’t. All she could do was try and remain positive. ”So you want to find this guy I’m assuming? But don’t forget, he has a day head start. The man said he was here yesterday.”

”Oh Lor. I know it’s hard, but you have to try and stay positive. We are going to find him, and everything will be fine.”

"Damn right we're going to find him." Lorcan replied with conviction. He wouldn't stop until he found him. However, if the past had taught him one thing then it was that his gut was hardly ever wrong. He hated it, but it was the truth. Right now his gut was telling him he needed to go find this trapper. Faranth help the man's head if when he found him the results were not pleasing.

”So you want to find this guy I’m assuming? But don’t forget, he has a day head start. The man said he was here yesterday."

"We have to find this man. He might have a head start, but we have dragons." Lorcan pointed out. Though, still, finding one man in the southern forest was not the easiest thing to do. Hydranth. I need you. We need to look for a trapper that has a days head start of us. Can you meet us? Lor reached out to his blue.

Ofcourse.Iwillbethereimmediately.DoyoubelievethistrapperhasAsh? The blue asked as he took off from where he was resting to fly towards Lorcan and Isiana.

My gut is telling me yes. Lor said and then turned to Isiana. "You don't have to come with me to this." He told her. Trappers weren't the most social and if the man did have Ash or had hurt Ash...well, Lor wasn't sure he wanted her around to see what would happen.

The tone in Lor’s voice made her turn her dark eyes back to him for a moment, and all the gold rider could do was give him a quick nod. It was good that he was so convinced that they would find him, but she could still tell that he was upset about it. Honestly, she didn’t expect him to calm down. A member of the family had just went missing, and she knew he wouldn't rest until they found him. While she tried to stay positive, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they didn't find him? A very small part of her felt like something terrible had happened to Ash. Another part of her wondered if there was nay chance that maybe the young feline had just gone wandering off on his own, and just decided that he didn't want to come back? Mentally, she chided herself. No, Ash loved them just as much as they loved him. There was no way he would just up and disappear.

Lor's voice forced the gold rider to push those kind of thoughts to the back of her mind. For a brief moment, all the young woman could do was stare at her boyfriend. So, he really was going to go after this man and track him down. What would happen if this man didn't have Ash? That question was on the tip of her tongue, when she realized that it probably would not even do any good to actually ask it. If this man ended up not having Ash, then they would just have to think of something else. Nodding she said, "Well, yes, I know we have dragons, but you know as well as I do that it's still a long shot."

Before she could even call to Andromedath, Lor's voice reached her ears once more, and this time, a frown came to her face rather quickly. Shaking her head, she quickly said, "No, don't think you are just sending me out of here, leaving you all by yourself. Either we're both going, or neither of us. You don't need to worry Lor. You know I can take care of myself." She wasn't angry, just, making sure he remembered that she wasn't some girl who needed to be protected. She was his girlfriend, a Queen rider. He really worried about her too much.